


What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas

by Tishbing



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Hurt Jim, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:46:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7119961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tishbing/pseuds/Tishbing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jamison Kirk went to Las Vegas to celebrate finishing college, she spots a certain grumpy southern doctor at the bar. One night of drinking and a night neither can remember leaves both parties with a Vegas Wedding. While McCoy finds out, Kirk does not. He has no idea how to find her and does he really want a second divorce in as many months?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok...this is a short chapter and, as time goes on, they will remember more. I hope you guys like it.

Chapter One

Jamison spotted him from across the bar, sitting and scowling at anyone who came by but she could see that he was lonely despite his behavior. She'd been the same when she had been younger. Angry at the world, at her mother, at her mother's asshole boyfriend Frank. She hadn't realized she had needed friends, someone to lean on to help her through the hurt. Her friend Gaila had seen to it.

The red-head had been her saving grace, forcing her to finish school and find her way out of the dark hole she had been digging herself into. She had helped bring her into light and Jamison, aka Jim, had flourished. She had finally completed her master's degree program in social work and had landed a sweet job far enough away from Iowa that she could be able to put her past behind her. 

Gaila and her were celebrating Vegas-style, enjoying the freedom that only young graduates can when he had caught her eye. He looked to be a little more than 6 feet tall, dark soulful eyes and very handsome.

"Ooh, yummy!" Gaila's arm flung around her and Jim shook her head and laughed.

"He's cute in a grumpy way. Kind of like that cat that everyone's spreading on the Internet." Gaila told her as she hung on Jim's shoulders eyeing the man and Jim's grin grew wider.

Gaila giggled. "Ohh, tall dark and handsome. I get it now." 

Jim shrugged and gestured with her fruity drink that the red-head had forced on her. "He just looks like he could use a friend, that's all." 

Gaila looked back at the brunette at the bar, her nose wrinkling. "I dunno. He seems a bit broody." 

Kirk laughed and patted her friend on the back. "Where's your sense of adventure? Just remember "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". That's my motto." 

Her friend shook her head and laughed. "Alright, but just remember we fly out tomorrow."

Gaila pulled back. "Go. Have fun. I'll see you at the hotel room tonight."

Jim smirked and jerked her head at the eye candy at the bar. "Only if I strike out." 

She gave Jim a shove towards the bar. "The Jim Kirk charm never fails." 

She waved Gaila off and headed towards her target, sitting on the stool next to him. He immediately glared at her and his eyes took her breath away. They were a dark brown but she could see gold flecks hiding in the dark which only made them more intense. She could see that he was angry. Not with her but he was angry with the world. 

She smiled at him and his expression faltered. "Aren't you gonna buy a lady a drink?" 

The man looked surprised. It was likely that she had caught him off guard. Most of the other patrons were giving him a wide berth sensing his less than hospitable disposition.

He looked her over and Jim preened at it, feeling her body come alive at the scrutiny. She loved it when people noticed her. 

"I don't see a lady. I see a kid. Don't you have some homework to do?" He growled in a southern accent and turned back to his drink, throwing it back and grimacing at the burn. 

Well, that stung. She was twenty-four! Let it be said that Jamison Kirk never backed down from a challenge. She signaled the bartender and pointed to her companions drink, ordering another for him and one for her. If Mohammed won't come to the mountain...

The drinks were put in front of them and Jim quickly paid. The brunette turned back to facing her and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He picked up the drink, watching her and waiting. Jim smirked and copied the gesture, clinking their glasses together and they both downed the bourbon together.

The alcohol burned all the way to her belly, leaving a warm feeling and she struggled to not let it show that she really wanted to cough. McCoy returned her smirk and watched as she signaled for another.

"Smooth." She gasped and McCoy started laughing and shook his head. 

"I'll give you credit, kid. You certainly know how to spice up an evening." He held out a hand and Jim took it. "McCoy. Leonard McCoy."

"Jim Kirk. What brings you to Las Vegas?" She sipped on her second drink, this time savoring in the flavor rather than just swallowing. 

"Celebrating my divorce becoming final yesterday. Ex-wife took almost everything and I'm spending the rest before she tries to get a hold of that, too. All she left me with was my bones." He saluted with his glass and took a drink.

She could see the hurt and Jim put a hand on his arm, hoping to provide a small measure of comfort. 

"How 'bout you?" 

Kirk shrugged. "Just out to have a good time." She turned to the casino floor and spotted Gaila playing at the craps table, jumping up and down and letting a young blond man blow on her dice for luck. That was what she loved about her. She was always fun. "Came here with my friend who is, apparently, doing fine without me." She smiled and gestures to her. "She loves blondes. Thinks they're lucky." 

McCoy laughed and damn, if that wasn't a sexy sound. "Maybe she's right." 

Jim moved closer, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "How about we do a proper celebration? Do Vegas the right way?" 

xXxpagebreakxXx

McCoy groaned and rolled over, his head pounding and his tongue feeling like sandpaper in his mouth. He felt a warm body next to him and he cracked open an eyelid, closing it immediately as the sunlight pierced through into his brain.

He didn't remember much of last night. He remembered a blonde girl with vivid blue eyes, dancing, craps and blackjack and lots of booze but that was about the extent of it. There was a lot of laughing...and crying? But he remembered most of all that she hadn't recoiled from him. Instead, she had pulled him closer.

He moaned as the jackhammer in his skull pounded. He slowly opened his eyes and rolled over. The girl was still there. It was then that he realized he was naked. Just what had they done? 

He looked around the room, noticing that they weren't in his room that he had booked. It seemed to be a suite. On the nightstand were a lot of chips. He'd never done anything like this before. Jocelyn had been his one and only. They'd been high school sweethearts, married right out of college. Sure, things had become strained after his father's death and when they realized she couldn't have children but they'd never done anything wild.

He looked closer at the blonde, trying to remember her name. Joanne? Jennifer? No...it was a boy's name. Jim? Yes, Jim. She was lying on her stomach, the blanket only covering her hips, naked and McCoy had to admit, she was beautiful. Her skin was a golden color, slightly tanned and she was slender but curved in all the right places. Her hair was a dark blonde, slightly wavy and it fell past her shoulders in waves. 

He especially liked her face. There was a small smattering of freckles that lined the bridge of her nose and cheeks and her face was heart-shaped, kind. He remembered meeting her at the bar, surprised that such an attractive woman was talking to him, especially considering just how angry he was. It had been her eyes that had really engaged him. They were a bright blue, like a summer's sky back in Georgia. 

Ever since he'd walked in on Jocelyn and Clay, he'd never thought he'd be seen as anything other than a failed husband but this girl had been a breath of fresh air. He felt...lighter.

His bed partner's eyes snapped open and she jerked awake, suddenly groaning and covering her face with the pillow much like he had earlier. "Oh, my god." She peeked out. "What happened?" 

McCoy chuckled but stopped when his headache protested. "I was hoping you knew." 

She kept the pillow over her face, her voice muffled. "I remember...nope. I know it was fun but this is one thing I am not repeating...for a long time." McCoy lifted the pillow and Jim hissed, covering her face. "Give a girl some warning." 

When she finally opened her eyes she looked down. "So, we uh-you know?" 

"Looks like it." 

She looked around the room and McCoy saw both of their clothes strewn everywhere. She looked back to him and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Shame neither of us can remember. It looks like it was fantastic." 

He shook his head and laughed. 

"You should do that more." Jim looked at him closely, her eyes serious.

"Do what?" McCoy asked.

"Smile. It looks good on you." 

All traces of humor were gone and McCoy felt as if his heart was being squeezed. "Thanks." 

Jim lifted her wrist and looked at her watch, her body stiffening like a piano wire. "Oh, shit!" She jumped out of bed, unashamed of her nakedness as she ran around the hotel suite and collected her clothing. He couldn't help a good long look. He wished he remembered last night. 

She was pulling on her boot and jumping on one foot. "Sorry, Bones, gotta run. Places to go, people to see." She ran over and pressed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "It's been fun." 

She was halfway to the door when McCoy shouted after her, stopping her and gesturing to the pile of chips. "Isn't that yours?" 

She tossed her jacket over her shoulder and shook her head, eyes sparkling. "Nope. That's all you. I guess my friend Gaila was right. Blondes are lucky." 

McCoy huffed a laugh and watched as she left wishing he had her number or even her last name. Once the door shut, he stood and stretched, walking over to the nightstand and looking at his/their winnings. He'd come with five thousand and he wondered how little was left. 

He noticed they were all green thousand dollar chips. -the hell?!? He counted them out and couldn't believe it. He had won over sixty thousand. Enough to make up for everything financially he'd lost in the divorce. 

"Jim, you are a wonder, kid." He packed the chips a small toiletries bag when he noticed a piece of paper and picture barely poking out under the bed. He knelt and pulled it out, careful to not damage it. 

He looked at the picture. It was of him and Jim kissing under a heart-shaped arch next to an Elvis impersonator. The smile slipped of his face fast as he read the border. "Little White Chapel". His hands started shaking as he put the picture down to look at the other piece of paper. A marriage certificate between Leonard H. McCoy and Jamison T. Kirk. 

"Ah fuck."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a short chapter to keep things going. I loved the reviews! It was like virtual cookies! I'd love some ideas of how you'd like them to meet up again. And just how McCoy can broach the subject of being married to her. I have a few ideas. At one point I considered a different career for her (firefighter or cop) but ultimately changed my mind as it'd be harder to get them to run into each other.

Chapter Two

Jamison threw everything she could grab into her suitcase while Gaila lounged on her bed, having already finished packing earlier. 

"So, how'd it go with tall, dark, and grumpy?" She rolled onto her belly and grinned lecherously. "I'd assume it went pretty good considering you only just got back." 

Jim paused in her packing, swallowing hard at the wave of nausea hitting her. She hated hangovers. 

"That good, huh?" She gave Jim a sympathetic glance. "I guess you can't win them all." 

"No. It's just my hangover." She checked over the room for stragglers and sighed, zipping up her case. Pulling off the bed, she took it's place and debated lying down for a minute. 

Gaila stood over her and tilted her head. "Was it good then?" 

The blonde let out a deep breath and groaned. "Honestly? I can't remember. The way the clothes were flung around I wish I did." 

"That hot, huh?" 

Jim's face flushed as she thought back to seeing him in the morning light. He had been sleep-rumpled and his brown hair had been sticking up in the back. It had looked cute. His chest and abdomen had been lean and toned and his eyes, when he had smiled they had been so warm. 

"Oh, yeah. He was that hot." Jim waggled her eyebrows and Gaila groaned.

"I'm so jealous! All I did was lose a month's rent." She mock-glared at Jim. "I lost my lucky blonde." 

"Me or that arm-candy you had at the craps table?" 

"He got all blushing maiden on me." She shrugged and playfully shoved Jim. "Of course I meant you." 

Gaila pushed at her friend harder. "Come on! We're gonna miss our flight."

She sighed and forced herself to get up. They had a flight to catch and a lot of packing to do if they were going to get to Atlanta by the end of the week with their u-haul. 

Gaila had her software engineering job at Synctec in Atlanta, Georgia and Jim had been excited to start work at Atlanta General as a hospital social worker, lucky enough to have gotten the job in the same city as her best friend. She loved helping people. When she had been younger, a social worker had saved her life. She'd been seventeen and in the ER, yet again, for a broken arm and concussion when Angela Bailey had finally put the pieces together. That no child was that clumsy to need an emergency room visit at least once every couple of months. 

Ms. Bailey had set it up to where she could be her own guardian, emancipation. She was able to move out, get a job and finally be free. She'd moved in with Gaila, another rescue by Bailey, and together, they'd supported each other. They worked and went to school, shared everything and survived. Jim was determined to follow the woman's legacy. She wanted to be the one to change lives. 

xXxpagebreakxXx

Leonard McCoy had arrived home to his Mama's old house $60,000 richer and with a wife he couldn't even find. He'd tried the hotel concierge desk but there had been no Jamison Kirk listed as a guest. He'd tried the chapel but no address had been given except his and he didn't even know what state she lived in. He'd hit dead ends everywhere.

He'd spent the next day being laughed out of his divorce attorney's office trying to find out a way to get the damn thing annulled but without her testimony it'd been a dead end. He'd had nothing to go on. McCoy wondered if he'd ever see her again. He wouldn't mind seeing her again.

It had been a month of dead ends and Leonard was getting close to just giving up. It's not like he had any other prospects on the horizon and he wasn't exactly eager to get married again anytime soon despite evidence to the contrary. Jocelyn had seen fit to make it where he was gun shy in that aspect. 

He couldn't help smiling though at the thought of Jim. She'd been funny and carefree, helping him get out of the funk he'd been stuck in since his ex. The feeling of just letting go had been cathartic, almost as if a poison had been extracted from him that had been slowly killing him and now he was free.

Phillip Boyce had offered him an attending position in the ER when he'd gotten back from Las Vegas and he'd gladly accepted. Things were finally falling into place, mostly.

McCoy pulled into the parking lot at Atlanta General and got out, ready for his first day as attending. This was the one thing Jocelyn hadn't been able to take from him. His ability to practice medicine. 

"Doctor McCoy." Leonard turned and saw his colleague, Spock Grayson, walking in and falling into step next to him. 

"How was your trip?" 

McCoy fought the urge to groan. It wasn't that he hated the man, far from it. He respected him, just he found it hard to relate to him. The neurosurgeon just seemed to always have a stick up his ass and he could never be like him, always cool under pressure and and unreadable to most. He was one of the best in his field and McCoy just didn't understand how he passed his patient relations course in med school. The man was a walking computer, focused on the brain and surgery rather than the patient. Although, he was getting better. McCoy had a certain Speech Language Pathologist to thank for that.

"It was...interesting." McCoy and Spock reached the doctor's lounge and, together, they donned their white coats, ready to face the challenges of the day. 

"Define interesting." 

McCoy sighed and put his stethoscope around his neck. "You know, Spock, curiosity killed the cat."

"And knowledge brought it back." He replied.

McCoy huffed a laugh. "I think you'll find the phrase is 'and satisfaction brought it back'." 

Spock paused, putting his reflex hammer and wartenburg wheel in his pockets, raising an eyebrow. "Knowledge brings me satisfaction." 

Shaking his head in disbelief, McCoy shut his locker. "Well, color me surprised. You know a colloquial saying. Is this small talk?"

The neurosurgeon looked unsure. "Nyota has stated that it would be a useful skill to be relate to patients." 

The smile slid off his face at the man's insecurity. "Spock, she's right. You're doin' fine." 

Spock's shoulders lowered as he relaxed slightly.

"C'mon, Spock. Let's go save some lives."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered a few scenarios in which to make them meet but hey, I figure this'd be just as entertaining. Let me know what you think! :)
> 
> Anyone got any ideas on what they want to happen next? I'd love to hear what you think

Chapter Three

Jim was in love! Her work was hard but she felt amazing at the end of the day. Her clients were her world and she went to work every day knowing that she would make a difference in someone's life. Not many people could say that. 

There were days when it broke her heart and there were days when she was walking on air. She was still finding her place at AG but it was slowly coming together. Due to low budgets there were only two social workers on staff so there had been a few nights when she had been paged for late night emergencies since she was the low man on the pole but she didn't mind. She thrived on it. 

Jim steered her Ducati scrambler through the parking lot and parked near the front. She loved that bike. When she was on it she felt free. She'd just turned it off and pulled off her helmet when she felt eyes watching her. She looked up into brown disapproving eyes.

"You do realize, Miss Kirk, that motorcycle accidents are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries that I see." Spock Grayson looked at the bike with distaste clearly written on his face.

Running her fingers through her hair to get rid of her helmet hair, Jim smiled widely. "So you're telling me that you've never had or wanted to have a motorcycle? Never felt the urge? I find that hard to believe Dr. Grayson." 

He raised an eyebrow but she could see him smiling despite his lips barely moving. "You are supposed to be setting an example, Miss Kirk." 

Her grin grew wider. "Oh, you so have! When was it? College? Med school?" She swung a leg over her bike to get off and stuffed her helmet under her arm to stand next to the doctor who was looking at her bike with something akin to longing.

"It was in medical school. It was to save money." He said quietly.

She slapped him on the back. "Of course it was." She relied in mock seriousness. "It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it is awesome. I knew you were a rebel. Live a little." She spun around and headed into the hospital for another day. 

"And it's Jim, Spock." She called over her shoulder. 

Jim had finally gotten a fresh start. A new beginning. Nobody knew her here and she liked that she literally had a clean slate. She went through the ER, checking in at the desk for any urgent issues and continued through to her shared office with Gem Hays. 

The woman was the kindest she had met so far. She had created a lot of the programs the hospital had now and it was thanks to her that they had a free clinic on Sundays and Wednesdays for those without insurance or those who were afraid to go to the doctor.

She stuffed her helmet under her desk and could see the short red hair of her colleague poking over the mound of files on her desk. "Hey, Gem. Anything I need to get started?" 

She had barely finished the sentence before a pile of files was dumped in her arms by the older woman. Jim sorted through them, listing them in order of importance and she set to work. 

xXxpagebreakxXx

Jim flopped down in her chair in the cafeteria, rubbing her eyes. She'd had two suspected abuse cases that she'd been able to prove we're nothing more than one being an accident through a big brother's dare and the other had been a rare case of osteogenesis imperfecta. Even though the news had been a hard blow to the family, at least it hadn't torn them apart. 

She picked at her salad and was reading about her next assignment when the chair next to her slid out.

"Hey, Kirk." 

Jim perked up and leaned back. "Well, if it isn't my favorite physical therapist." 

Hikaru Sulu had his burger halfway to his mouth before he put it down with a sigh. "What."

She batted her eyes at the young Asian and he shook his head in exasperation. "You are so barking up the wrong tree. You do realize I'm gay. I told you yesterday." 

"I'm not prejudiced. I flirt with everybody. If I don't, my skills get rusty." She slid the folder she had just been looking at over to him. "I've got a kid with CP who needs a new pair of orthotics. The family can't get an appointment at their local clinic for six months because they're on a wait list." 

Sulu wiped his hands and opened the folder, scanning through the chart. "I haven't done prosthetics in a while." 

"You used to, though and we have the equipment to do it but not the people since they're just as booked up. Besides, it's not a prosthetic, it's orthotics." She pointed to the small passport picture of the kid paperclipped in the corner, knowing that it would sway him. No-one likes to deny a kid. "He needs new shoes and supports. He can't walk without them. He hasn't been able to do his therapies in over a month and you know, as well as I do, that this could set him back significantly." 

He let out an exasperated sigh and closed the folder but didn't push it back. "Fine. I'll email you a list of times that I can fit them in." 

Jim beamed and Sulu shook his head and started eating his burger. She took a bite of her salad when she spotted Dr. Grayson following behind a determined Nyota Uhura. The woman made a bee line for them and Jim wondered if she had time to make a run for it. 

They sat across from her and Nyota set her own salad down. Spock nodding in greeting at her and Sulu before setting himself next to her. 

"Don't doctors have a fancy lounge or something to eat in?" She looked towards Sulu. "You know, so they don't have to eat with us commoners?" 

Sulu snorted into his burger and Uhura rolled her eyes. "Kirk, I need your help."

Jim sat up straighter and leaned forward, giving her a fake leer. "For you, dear, anything." She winked and the other woman rolled her eyes.

"Be serious." 

"Always." She picked up her fork and took another bite. "What do you need?"

"I have a patient who had oral cancer. The woman lost part of her tongue and had a reconstruction free flap. She needs speech therapy and her insurance won't approve it. Without it, she'll be forced to have to have a g-tube placed since she can't adequately control her muscle to eat and she can't speak properly." Uhura waited while Jim mulled it over.

"I'll need letters of medical necessity, and prior authorization paperwork from the oncologist, surgeon and yourself." She'd need Gem's help with this one. She hadn't been trained to deal with private insurance companies yet.

Uhura nodded and started on her own salad that was homemade which looked a lot better than her own one with wilted lettuce. Jim eyed it jealously. "What do you have?" 

Uhura stopped eating and smiled, noticing Jim's expression. "Thai crunch salad. Want some?" 

Jim considered it but saw the gleam in the other woman's eyes and she narrowed her own blue ones in suspicion. "What will it cost me?" 

She waved a fork. "Your bike for an hour after work." 

"What?!? No way!" That bike was her baby! There was no way Uhura could handle it.

She took an exaggerated bite. "Mmm...this is soooo good. You sure, Kirk?" 

Sulu chuckled but sobered as Jim glared at him. She turned back to Uhura. "Fine but you break it, I'll break you." 

Uhura clapped and Spock glared at Jim, likely because he was worried about his girlfriend.

Uhura slid the salad over and stole Jim's. "I'll pick up the keys at five." 

Jim took a bite. It really was a lot better than her canteen salad. Sweeter and fresher. She was about halfway through when she started to feel off, her neck was itching and it felt like something was stuck in her throat. 

Jim coughed to clear it and the table's occupants looked at her. God, when had the neck of her shirt gotten so tight. Jim coughed again and scratched at her belly. 

"Miss Kirk, are you alright?" Spock leaned over the table frowning at her and started to feel as if she was light-headed. She couldn't get enough air. She looked at the salad and up at Nyota as it clicked.

"Peanuts?" She gasped.

Nyota looked horrified. "Oh, my god!" 

She started fumbling in her pockets, her fingers rapidly swelling but remembered she'd left her epi-pen in her cardigan back in her office. Her lungs strained and she started to fall only to be caught by three sets of hands, lowering her to the floor. 

She felt a stab to her leg and in seconds she gasped in precious air, sucking in lungfuls, her heart pounding as the epinephrine did it's job. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut but she could see Sulu with an arm around Nyota who was very still and had tear tracks down her cheeks. Spock was leaning over her with an epi-pen, his eyes dark and furious.

"I'm fine." She croaked to Nyota and started to try and get up only to have Spock hold her down by the shoulder. 

"Desist your movements. You are going to the emergency room, now." He pushed down to emphasize that she wasn't going to be moving anytime soon and Jim patted his arm.

"I'm really ok." She wheezed and her voice was rough and Spock just glared at her, not letting up until a medical team with a gurney came rushing in. 

She protested even as they lifted her onto the gurney and stuck an oxygen mask on her and monitors but she stopped when Spock's expression became thunderous. "You need treatment. You are at risk of biphasic anaphylaxis." 

At Jim's questioning look he explained. "That means that the reaction could come back. You require treatment." 

"I have Benadryl in my desk." 

Spock ignored her and walked alongside her as the staff moved quickly through the halls. She pulled the mask down to talk. "Tell Uhura it's not her fault." 

He shoved the mask back over her mouth and nose. "Cease speaking and focus on your breathing." 

Jim struggled to roll her eyes and settled for glaring at her feet, occasionally scratching. 

The team got her downstairs and wheeled her into a curtained exam room.

"Dr. Grayson, you decided to grace us with your presence." A deep southern voice caught her attention.

She knew that voice. 

"And what do we have here?" 

Jim's heart sped up faster, sending alarms blaring and the doctor who'd just walked in looked up from putting on his gloves.

"We have a twenty-four year old woman, severe anaphylaxis due to a peanut allergy. Epinephrine administered via intramuscular injection which combatted the immediate effects. Her name is-"

"Jamison Kirk." He finished. 

"Ah fuck." Jim wheezed as she saw Leonard McCoy, her very hot one-night stand from Vegas standing across from her looking shell-shocked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'm debating just how I should bring Scotty into this. There's several choices. Physical therapist since they build things such as equipment for patients. Computer engineer, because he could meet Gaila that way, orthopedic surgeon because they literally build people's bones after accidents. Or maybe the operations manager at the hospital (the one who handles the functioning of the hospital like repairing the pipes, AC, electrical, etc) Anyone got a preference or idea?

Chapter Four

"We have a twenty-four year old woman, severe anaphylaxis due to a peanut allergy. Epinephrine administered via intramuscular injection which combatted the immediate effects. Her name is-"

The alarms started practically screaming when he walked in the room prompting Leonard to look up from where he was pulling in his gloves and what he saw made his heart jump into his throat.

"-Jamison Kirk." He finished for Spock who looked at him with an eyebrow raised in surprise. 

"Ah fuck." Jim wheezed and she shook her head trying to get the neurosurgeon holding the mask to her face to let go while a nurse started to take vitals. 

"Miss Kirk's reaction was not treated immediately at onset due to her not having her epi-pen on her person. Fortunately, Dr. Clark was on-site and had a set of samples that he had yet to hand out." Spock continued his report and McCoy's eyes snapped to Jim who clenched her jaw.

"Traitor." She hissed.

Spock raised an eyebrow in surprise but was unphased by her. "I am simply giving a report on my patient and, in this case, it is you." 

"Pressure is 94/70, doctor." Chapel told him as she started to prepare an IV. Jim glared at the two holding her still and wriggled under McCoy's gaze. He couldn't still couldn't believe it. He'd know those baby blues anywhere, even hidden slightly by the hives making her face swell. 

He tore his eyes away and looked up at the monitor. She was rapidly becoming tachycardic. "Let's get an IV started, diphenhydramine 50mg." He put on his stethoscope and carefully listened to her lungs and heart. He could hear wheezing and a slight rattle but nothing a breathing treatment wouldn't fix. Her heart rate was fast but it'd hopefully slow with fluids being pushed.

"And we'll need a nebulizer." He lifter her shirt and noticed the hives and swelling. The woman had it everywhere. He checked her throat and saw that, although it was irritated and red, it hadn't swollen any further.

"Bones? I didn't know you worked here. What are you doing here?" Jim's voice was rough and Spock became curious, multitasking between keeping the mask on his patient and looking at his colleague for an explanation.

"Later, Spock. I've got her from here." He could feel the disapproving glare sent his way as the neurosurgeon left. He knew Spock had questions and he wasn't sure how to answer them.

"I thought you were from Louisiana." She pulled the mask down to talk. "That accent should be illegal." She tried to smile but grimaced and coughed, holding her abdomen. The reaction was likely causing some abdominal pain.

McCoy looked up from the name-badge attached to her pocket. She worked here? His 'Vegas wife' worked here? He shook his head.

"Uh...no. I'm an attending." He shoved the mask back up and gave her an expectant glare. "And stop talking." She pulled it down to argue and McCoy batted her hands away. "Keep the damn mask on. Use the sense God gave you and keep the mask on." 

"Bossy can be hot." She tried winking at him and McCoy rolled his eyes and tried not to smile. 

"Doctor?" Chapel held out the tubing for the nebulizer and set the machine up next to Jim who looked at it with disgust.

"Isn't this overkill? I'm fine." She protested as he pulled her mask off and held out the tube, now dispensing medication, for her to take.

"It isn't overkill when you can die because you didn't avoid your allergens. That's the first thing you learn." He shook the tubing and Jim accepted it, breathing using the tube. "The second, is that you always carry your epinephrine with you. You're damn lucky that this happened in a hospital." What if she had had this happen at home? He'd have never found her again. He still couldn't believe his luck. Although, whether it was good luck or bad, he wasn't sure. 

Jim kept breathing, the mist from the nebulizer showing that she was following the treatment and McCoy was happy to see that her skin was slowly starting to calm down. He wrote a few notes in her chart and asked Chapel to run her blood and urine to be sure her reaction was under control. He needed to talk to her.

"Kirk, I'm so sorry. I didn't know!" 

Nyota came through the curtain, red-faced and clearly upset. "You should have told me you had allergies!" She gently punched Jim in the arm and smiled. "I nearly killed you." 

"No harm, no foul." 

Nyota smiled but Leonard had known her for two years. He could see that she had been terrified. Being a Speech pathologist, she rarely saw anything like a violent reaction such as Jim's. 

"I'll be out of here in a bit. I'll get on your favor as soon as you get me those files." Jim patted Ny's arm and McCoy puffed up, his face turning red. She couldn't honestly be thinking she was going to work!

"Oh, no you damn well won't! You're going to stay here until I'm sure you're recovered." He snapped.

"Looks like you got the best, Jamison. Leonard is very protective of his patients." Nyota smiled but her hands still fidgeted on the rails of the gurney nervously.

"And here I thought I was special." She gave a fake dramatic sigh. "Well, we'll always have Vegas." She batted her eyes at him and McCoy sighed.

Uhura's and Chapel's eyes darted between them. "Wait...you two know each other?" 

Clearly, his first day back was not going to be a quiet one.

"Oh, he was my buddy in sin city. Did you know he can sing? He rocked Journey on the karaoke." He slapped a hand to his face to hopefully hide the blush he could feel coming on.

"No, I've never seen that." Uhura looked positively gleeful. "Just what did you two do?"

"A lady never kisses and tells." Jim purred. 

McCoy could practically feel his blood pressure rising. "You. Out." He ushered Uhura and Chapel out and put his hands on his hips but Jim ignored the danger signs of his temper and smirked as she continued her breathing treatment. How was it that she was able to not be cowed by him was a mystery. She simply pushed through his behavior and kept smiling. 

"And you-" she shrugged as if to say 'little old me'. "You are gonna stay here for the next six hours." 

And that got rid of the smile. "Oh, come on! Is this payback for leaving you with the room bill?"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Look, Jim, we need to talk. What exactly do you remember about-"

The curtain jerked back behind him. "Doctor McCoy, a word please?" 

Turning, Leonard saw Spock waiting for him. "Later. Don't you have brains to cut up or your particular brand of voodoo to practice?" He snapped but Spock was unphased. 

"Fine." He turned back to Jim who was edging to the end of the gurney as if to make a run for it. "I will be right back. Do not go anywhere." 

Spock led him across the bay and to an adjacent exam room before he spoke. "Leonard, earlier you told me your time in Las Vegas was 'interesting' and, though I am not as knowledgeable in relationships as many other people may be but, is there something between you and Miss Kirk that happened during your time away?" 

Running a hand over his face, he looked out the small window of the room towards Jim's curtained area. Just how the hell was he going to tell her? He'd known what he was going to say but now that he saw her in person? The words were stuck in his throat. To ask for a divorce...again was disheartening.

"Spock, that woman out there-she's my wife." 

To his credit, Spock was calm but he could see that he was surprised. "She is your wife?" His eyes followed McCoy's. "Is she aware of this?" 

"No. I don't think so." He started pacing, nervous at the fact that he was going to have to tell Jim. Hell, he liked the woman. He had wanted to see her again after they had parted last month but asking for a divorce on their second meeting probably would ruin any chance of even asking for a date. "Even I didn't know until the morning after when I saw the marriage certificate." 

A knock to the door interrupted them as Chapel handed him a few of Jim's results. He scrolled through the chart. "I didn't order this test, Christine." 

"It's standard procedure as you know." 

Leonard scanned through to the bottom of the paperwork and his heart stopped again. Spock leaned over his shoulder to see what the test was. Curiosity was his failing.

"Thank you, Miss Chapel." He dismissed the nurse and Spock read over his shoulder. "This is why we do not typically treat family members or spouses, Doctor. It would appear that your wife is pregnant." 

A baby? It was like a cosmic joke and he had yet to hear the punchline. He'd tried for over two years with Joce to have children. They'd spent a year after that trying invitro and had had failure after failure. It had driven a wedge between them and when McCoy had suggested adoption, Jocelyn had broke. She had told him that she couldn't love a child that wasn't theirs. 

It had been a nightmare after. His father had been diagnosed with brain cancer, stage IV, and he had pushed her away, focusing on trying to save David McCoy only to have him slip away after six months. His mother had died a month later, unwilling to live without the man she had loved since childhood. 

Jocelyn had always been the bright star in his life, the center of attention, and when she had been pushed to the side, she'd found someone who could give her the attention she craved. She had struggled during his early residency but, with the combination of repeated failures of not getting pregnant and then, with Leonard spending every moment trying to save his father, she had sought out someone else. 

He couldn't help the feeling but he wanted this baby. He wanted to know Jim and maybe be a part of her life if she'd let him. He wanted it with a ferocity that surprised him but, at the same time, he was afraid. He barely knew her but he did know that she was kind, funny and honest. He'd seen that when she hadn't left him high and dry the morning after. 

But, a small voice reminded him, would she want the same? She was six years his junior, still far too young and fresh out of college. She'd barely begun living. At her age, the idea of starting a family had been what he'd wanted. He'd seen the love his parents had for each other and he'd selfishly wanted to have it himself. 

"I can finish the rest of Miss Kirk's care as I do not have a surgery for another few hours and, even then, it is a simple shunt placement." He held out his hand for the chart but McCoy couldn't give it up. Not now that he knew. 

"I'll handle it." McCoy knew Spock disapproved but he left anyway. The man was a stickler for the rules and regulations but he felt that sometimes, you had to break the rules and he'd be damned if someone else told Jim.

xXxpagebreakxXx

Jim glared at Chapel who smirked at her from across the bay. The damn nurse had literally stolen the patient belongings bag that had her clothes in it. She was feeling fine and she didn't understand why she had to wait for so long and be a patient. She was also worried. Her insurance didn't kick in for another week and so she was gonna have a hell of a time figuring out just how she was gonna pay for this. 

Not to mention the fact that it just happened to be her tall, dark, and grumpy Vegas buddy as her doctor. Did she mention handsome? Because, he was very handsome. She was humiliated. Of all the ways to run into him again, it couldn't have been when she was looking amazing and sipping a cocktail. Instead, Spock had dragged her down, puffy and covered in hives. She knew it had been 'for her own good' but it had been so embarrassing. 

"Oh, my god! Jimmy!" A flash of bright red hair filled her vision before Jim was covered and hugged by her friend.

"Gaila? Can't breathe." She gasped and the woman let go, hastily stepping back. Her normally pale face was even more drained of color except high spots on her cheeks that were bright pink. Gaila's vivid blue eyes were wide and fearful as she looked her over. 

"What happened? I got a message from the hospital saying you were in the emergency room!" 

"I'm fine. They're just overreacting. I got a small rash-" Gaila's eyes narrowed dangerously at the obvious lie and Jim gulped. "Fine. It was a bit worse but I'm fine now." 

"There. That wasn't so hard was it?" She patted Jim's arm and climbed onto the gurney, settling next to her friend.

"Don't you have work?" 

Gaila shrugged and made herself more comfortable, arranging Jim's limbs so that they could both fit on the small bed. "My sister comes first. If they don't like it at Synctec then they can kiss my perfectly shaped ass." 

She looked her over and frowned at Jim. "Oh, honey, these hospital gowns are not your color. Remind me to never let you buy a sage green top." She practically pinned Jim's arm under her as she laid back and started scrolling through her phone, effectively trapping Jim to the gurney. She knew what she was doing. She was just harder to fight than Chapel. Jim may have been tough but she knew when she was beaten. Chapel laughed from across the bay while Jim huffed and laid back.

"Can you get my phone?" Jim asked.

"I mean, green is my color. I look fantastic in it." She ignored her and kept going through her emails. 

"I'm bored." 

"You're convalescing. I know you'd be working if you get your cell." She kept typing and crossed her legs.

"I'm not conva-" Gaila's eyes narrowed on her and Jim's mouth snapped shut, knowing that her friend (practically her sister) was right. "Fine. Be that way." 

Gaila lay back and turned to face her, brushing Jim's blond hair out of her face, her expression serious. "Do you know what that call did to me? The last time this happened, you had to have a tube shoved down your throat. 

Her heart squeezed in her chest. It had been two years ago. Jim had never seen Gaila that scared in her life. She always was the calm one, never letting anything get her down but the look of terror on her face when Jim had been put under for the intubation had haunted her for over a year. She'd been careful, always checking everything to prevent it from happening again. "Hey, I'm fine." She grabbed her hand and squeezed. "I'll be here for a long time. We're gonna be old ladies driving our nurses in the old folks home crazy." 

Gaila's eyes lit up and she smiled, turning her attention back to her phone. "Damn straight." 

Jim read over her shoulder, the written technobabble in her friend's work emails making Jim's eyes glaze. Or maybe it was the Benadryl. "Did you know that tall, dark, and grumpy works here?" 

Gaila stopped typing.

'He's my doctor now." 

Blue eyes met hers. "Seriously?" Her smile became mischievous. "Playing doctor would be fun. Maybe get a repeat performance that you can actually remember? He was pretty cute."

"He said we needed to talk." Jim grimaced, feeling disappointed for some reason.

Gaila hissed in sympathy. "Ooh. Ouch. Maybe not." 

The curtain pulled back to reveal the object of their discussion. Jim and Gaila sat up at the grim expression on McCoy's face. Was he unhappy that it was her as his patient? Embarrassed? Or was there something wrong with her?

"Jim, I need to discuss your test results." His gaze landed on Gaila. "Perhaps it would be best if your friend left for a bit." 

Gaila grabbed her arm. "Not happening."

McCoy looked back to Jim, his lips thinning in displeasure. Well, Gaila was her everything. They'd been through hell together. Placing a hand over Gaila's, Jim dug in her heels. "Whatever it is, she is staying." 

The doctor passed over a sheet of paper. "We did a pregnancy test since its standard for all female patients and yours came back positive. You're pregnant." 

There was a rushing sound in her ears and Jim registered a faint thumping on her arm but she couldn't hear anything. Images of her mother played across her vision as she stared at the bed unseeing. Her mother as she first got her diagnosis of pschizophrenia, late in her years, which was surprising. The fight to keep her stable that her, Sam, and George undertook. Watching as she fell apart and stopped taking her meds when her dad died. Watching as she was taken away screaming after an episode that caused a kitchen fire. Frank getting drunk because of the stress, taking it out on her and Sam that their mother was ill. Jim had promised herself she'd never have children because of the risk of her maybe having it. She'd never put a child through it. She was on the pill. This wasn't possible. They'd used condoms. She'd seen them in the trash.

She had to leave. She had to leave now. She looked down, realizing that she was crushing Gaila's hand and quickly let go. "Get my clothes." 

Gaila was unsure, fretting and her hands fluttering on Jim's shoulders. McCoy leaned forward. "Now, Jim, you need to stay for monitoring. You had a serious episode and I want OB to come down and check on you and the baby to make sure everything is alright." 

"Get my clothes, NOW." She snapped and Gaila ran over to the nurse's station, taking the bag from an equally shocked Chapel as Jim started pulling monitors off of herself. 

She felt a gentle touch to her shoulder and she jerked away, missing McCoy's stricken expression as she grabbed the bag from Gaila and started dressing, heedless of McCoy's attempts to stop her.

"This is NOT happening. I'm on birth control. We used condoms. This is not happening." She kept repeating the mantra, knowing it had to be true. There was no way this was possible. 

"Now, Jim, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can help." He stopped her as she was buttoning her pants and she pushed away but he stopped her again, leaning down and making sure she saw him, praying she saw that he wanted this despite the circumstances. "I want to help." 

"You don't know me. You know nothing about me. This isn't happening. You're wrong." She practically growled at him and McCoy let go, hurt.

"Then let me get to know you." He pleaded.

Scoffing, she put on her top, pulling back her hair roughly into a low ponytail. "Look, one night does not constitute-" she pointed to him and her. "-whatever this is. It's not like we're married or something." 

She stepped past him, Gaila giving the doctor a sympathetic glance but still following her friend as Jim left. 

"GOD DAMNIT!" McCoy threw the chart, his blood boiling in frustrated impotence. Denying something doesn't make it go away. He needed to get through to her. To let her know she wasn't alone. This was his kid, too.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I was on vacation with my son and we were very busy. It was surprisingly hard to write this chapter. Anyone got any ideas or plot bunnies? I'd love to hear them!

Chapter Five

Jim leaned on the bathroom counter, barely breathing as she looked at the five sets of pregnancy tests she'd bought with Gaila the second they'd left Atlanta General Emergency Room. All of them showing the same results, almost as if to mock her and her birth control. All positive. 

Just what was she going to do now? Her eyes burned as she fought to hold back tears. She knew she should have gotten the implant, potential allergies and problems be damned! She was barely starting out in her new job, she had student loans, and she didn't even have a car. What if she turned out like Winona? What if Bones changed his mind? He didn't even know her! Could she afford a termination? Wasn't it like a pill or something at this point? Should she do it? Could she do it? 

Then there was the issue of Bones working in the same building as her. He'd figure out what she did if she went through with it. Her fingers tightened in the counter and she groaned, wishing she could sink through the tile in the floor and disappear.

"Jim? You ok in there?" 

Jim took a deep breath to steel herself and pushed up. "Yeah. I'm fine, Gaila." 

The door opened behind her and her best friend walked in with two steaming mugs of camomile tea, Gaila's eyes drifting to the tests. Jim took the mug and sipped.

"All positive?" 

"Yup." 

Gaila closed her eyes and wrapped an arm around Jim, letting her rest her head on her shoulder. "You know I'll be there for you no matter what you decide, right?" 

"Thanks." 

Gaila pressed a kiss to the top of her blond head. "What are sisters for?" 

Jim grinned. "They're for letting me steal their-" 

Gaila pointed at her with her mug in mock anger. "Touch my shoes again and you die." 

Warmth filled her chest and she hiccuped a small giggle. "They look better on me though." 

A dramatic sigh. "That's what I hate about you, Jim." 

She swirled the tea in her mug, just staring at it and thinking. What if..."If I did keep it my feet'd get too fat for your shoes." 

Gaila hummed, her chest vibrating under Jim's shoulder and she tighter her grip around the blond. "Bonus for me." 

She shoved Gaila gently with her shoulder and they both quietly laughed despite the seriousness of the situation, the unknown and unanswered questions still on the horizons of their thoughts. 

xXxpagebreakxXx

Jim waved at Gaila as she left in her old red Jetta and turned towards the doors to the hospital. She still hadn't made a definite decision as to what to do about "it". 

The messed up part? She likes kids. In fact, she loves kids. That's why she chose to go into social work. She just likes to be able to give them back at the end of the day. 

She got almost to the door to her shared office with Gem when she saw him. McCoy. He was sat on a plastic chair on the other side of the glass just inside. His head was tilted back and his left arm was dangling loose, the fingers brushing the ground. She could see his shirt and white lab coat were wrinkled and his mouth was slightly open, a quiet snore as he slept. She wasn't ready to confront him, yet.

Jim spun on her heel, heart racing and collided with a solid chest, knocking her off balance until a strong arm caught her and pulled her up. Jim glared up at the offending body and paled.

"Spock? What are you doing down here?" Shaking off his grip, Jim caught her breath and stole a glance behind her to ensure Bones was still dead to the world. He was.

Spock, for his part, raised an eyebrow as if to say 'Are you really that stupid?' and waited for her to come up with her own answer.

"Well, I'm fine apart from too many people knowing my business." 

Spock's eyes softened in understanding. "I, too, am a private individual. You can rest assured that HIPPA is in effect and that the only people aware of your condition are myself, Dr. McCoy and your medical team. It will go no further without your permission." 

Jim frowned and shifted her feet. "Medical team?" 

"A referral was sent to Atlanta Women's Health and I took the liberty of arranging an appointment with Dr. Carol Marcus for this afternoon. Their clinic is located on the second floor in the tower attached to our building." 

The neurosurgeon took out a small card from his lab coat and passed it to her and Jim shook her head, shoulders slumping. "That's a little fast for me, Spock." 

"It is only prudent to be 'fast' in prenatal care. Dr. Marcus is one of the more popular OB/GYNs in Atlanta and becoming established early is quite difficult." 

"Uh...thanks?" She gestured vaguely over her shoulder, hoping for a moment of respite. "I've got to go. Catch you later?" 

Spock nodded and Jim went to her office, taking a calming breath before setting her sights on her Bones...wait...not her Bones...Dr. McCoy. God, why did he have to be so damn cute? She watched him for a minute as he slept, the lines on his forehead smoothed out and his brown hair messy, probably from running his hands through it. He'd done that a lot in Vegas. It had been endearing and had made her want to do it herself. In fact, she may have. 

She liked his smile. As rare as it had been it was a cute one. It made his eyes light up. She tilted her head, studying the doctor. His nose was cute, too. She could almost see a small brown haired child with his nose running around, maybe his smile? Jim mentally cursed blaming her stupid hormones. This was NOT in her plans. She was supposed to have more time figuring out herself and be able to enjoy adult freedom. She'd wanted to see the world, maybe change a small corner of it for the better. 

She walked around to her desk and opened her laptop, pulling files towards her and started work. If her eyes strayed to Bones every five minutes worrying about him getting a sore neck, well, nobody had to know about that.

She spent the next two hours negotiating with insurance companies, Medicaid, social security and various charities to ensure the low income patients she had on her roster got the care and medications they needed. They'd only had one emergency for her to tend to when a young man ended up in the ER unconscious from an overdose of heroine. She'd set up with Dr. Puri to contact her if the patient wanted drug counseling or an inpatient program.

She was finishing up a file when a snort and grunt caused her to look up. 

"God damn chairs!" He grumbled and rubbed his neck, stopping when he saw her watching him.

"Jim?" He moved forward slowly, as if she was a spooked animal ready to run at the slightest provocation. 

Jim sent an email to Gem letting her know she was taking an early lunch and closed her laptop, knowing that this was going to take a while. She hooked her pager on her waistband.

"Have you been here all night?" She asked. His silence was answer enough.

"Have you eaten?" Again, silence. Jim sighed and stood, gesturing for him to follow.

"I was here in case you came back in. You left AMA." He scowled which was a more familiar expression and she could see he was holding back from a tirade.

"I'm fine." They made their way into the cafeteria and Jim ordered a chicken sandwich and a small coffee despite McCoy's aborted glare at the caffeine infused drink and they wandered to the lower hallways where it was less frequented. 

McCoy sat opposite her on a gurney parked in the hall. "Jim, I need you to know that I will be there for you and the baby. I want to get to know you and be a part of his or her life and yours, too." He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the brown strands and rubbed his neck. "Hell, I like you. I had fun with you from what I can remember and I can help." 

Jim sipped her coffee, grimacing at the taste. Hospital coffee sucked but it usually was tolerable. She put it down and Bones seemed inordinately pleased. "Look, I liked you, too but, and I want to be honest with you, I don't know if I can do this." 

McCoy paled. "Don't know if you can do what?"

The thought of having an abortion made her sick but the thought of having a child was just as unpalatable. "Having a kid. This wasn't-what I meant to say-I need time." She could feel McCoy's piercing eyes on her and her face flushed at the attention.

"Need time for what? The baby is here. It's growing inside you now. It probably already has a heartbeat that can be seen." McCoy spoke low, his tone unhappy.

Jim shifted on the gurney, her heart beating faster. "It's just not a good time for me. As it is, I've probably got a mammoth ER bill from yesterday since I don't have insurance coverage until next week not to mention my student loans. I just don't have the financial ability right now to care for a tiny human. I see mothers every day that are sinking because of an unexpected pregnancy." 

McCoy put a hand on hers, squeezing and made sure she was looking right at him. She could see the gold flecks in his brown eyes, worry and unease in the lines of his face but there was a pleading, almost stubborn look. "I'll give you time but I also won't give up hope. I can promise you that, Jim. I want you to understand that, despite how this happened that I want this and I'd like to have it with you if you'll give it a chance."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it. The next one will be mostly from McCoy's POV and encompass the date. I'd love ideas of what to do on the date!  
> I'm sorry it took so long but this chapter was, surpringly, hard to write. Plus, the added busyness of getting my two kiddos ready for the start of school kept me busy plus my vacation to England, Wales, and Italy kept me busy. Yay! It was awesome! Any Dr Who fans...I went to Cardiff and the Dr Who experience. I can feel the jealousy from here! Mwahaha!

Chapter Six  
Over the next week Jim had felt McCoy's eyes on her each time he'd caught her. She could see he was keeping his distance and, from what she could see, he wasn't normally a patient man. In fact, a few times she'd seen him snap at the nurses. Chapel had reined him in though by having him paged every hour on the hour during a twenty-four hour shift. By the end of it he was a perfect gentleman and had bought the nurses pizza and donuts for the rest of the week. 

She'd taken to avoiding him as much as possible despite him purposefully paging her and not Gem with social service consults. Truth be told, Jim had been thinking about having a child...a lot. Since she'd found out, and she blamed the stupid hormones, she'd been thinking about baby names and stupid tiny clothes that were cute. 

Jim leaned back in the cafeteria, nibbling on her toast and thinking about her upcoming appointment at the local clinic. Every time she thought about it she felt sick; as if the tiny thing inside of her was fighting her for it's right to live. Reaching out for her morning latte, she scowled as it was replaced with herbal tea with Spock sitting across from her. He was still holding it hostage despite her glare.

"Dude, I can promise you that it's a bad move to get between a woman and her coffee." She swiped out to retrieve her drink but the surgeon simply moved it out of her reach.

Spock raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "If it is a warm drink that is helpful in the morning then ginger tea is very helpful, especially-"

"Don't make me throw my toast at you to get my coffee back." 

Spock had the audacity to look completely unaffected. 

"You're asking for a face full of butter and wheat." She held up her breakfast and Spock raised an eyebrow at the threat.

"Nyota, herself, no longer drinks coffee and she enjoys her morning tea." 

Jim knew very well that Uhura stole coffee from the coffee maker in Gem's office every morning when she got in. "Oh, that is bull-" Her eyes caught a glimpse of Uhura glaring at her over Spock's shoulder and she cut off quick. She bet Uhura was a hair puller.

Spock frowned at Jim but, thankfully, Uhura distracted him with a kiss on the cheek. Jim mouthed to her 'You owe me one!' And jerked her finger at the woman while she smirked over Spock's shoulder.

She smiled serenely and gracefully slid into the chair next to her boyfriend. "Oh, Jim, I see Spock is sharing his tea. You know, it was at least six months before he brought me a cup." She took a sniff at the offending substance and looked up, concerned. "He only brings ginger root when someone's sick. Are you ok?" 

"I'm suffering from a caffeine deficiency but otherwise am fine." Jim huffed. She took the tea and sipped it, hating the fact that Spock looked pleased. She begrudgingly realized it did taste not too bad.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"A thank you is not necessary." 

Jim rolled her eyes and stifled a smile. Insufferable bastard.

Uhura looked over Jim's shoulder, grimacing at what she saw. It didn't take a genius to figure out who or what she was looking at. What Jim didn't understand was just why he wanted it so badly-why he wanted her. 

"What is going on between you two? I've seen Leonard angry and hurt but I've never seen him like this." 

Jim snapped her attention back to Uhura. "Nothing is going on." She lied.

Uhura didn't look convinced. "You know, Leonard is-" She paused, thoughtful. "-well, he's cantankerous but he's kind." Uhura smiled. "Not many could escape his clutches in the ER and tell the tale." 

Jim shrugged, not knowing what to do with the information. He had, after all, given her space although she had a sneaking suspicion that it was him that kept putting the prenatal vitamins on her desk. Gem had taken to giving them to patients who couldn't get them easily but Jim had taken a bottle herself. She reasoned that taking vitamins whether or not she decided to keep 'it' wasn't a bad thing.

"Leonard! Over here!" Uhura waved and Jim blanched as the doctor in question came over and sat next to Spock across from her. The speech pathologist seemed to find her reaction very interesting and smiled deviously. 

Very. Deviously.

Sometimes, she hated the woman. She was scary. 

"Leonard, Jamison is new to Atlanta and I'm sure she'd love a tour from someone who's lived here as long as you have. Maybe tonight since you have the night off?" Uhura asked sweetly and, dammit it to hell, Leonard looked so hopeful that Jim faltered at the refusal that was on the tip of her tongue. 

She wondered if she could manage to kick Uhura under the table. Jim considered it but dismissed the idea. That woman had some serious heels. Pointy and sharp. She valued her life...and her feet.

"Okay." 

Jim felt awful at the emergency physician's smile. Although, Uhura's smirk kind of killed it. A bit. 

No more coffee for her. After all, shouldn't a relationship be built on trust?

xXxpagebreakpeoplexXx

Jim fretted over her hair, hating the stubborn curl near her hairline at her forehead and feeling unaccountably nervous. She normally wasn't wrong-footed by people like that and she cursed the speech pathologist as she borrowed Gaila's seldom used hair iron.

She wasn't sure where Bones was taking her and so she opted for a pale blue dress "borrowed" from her room mate and ballet flats with her blond hair pinned up. She hated being...girly. 

Gaila barged into the bathroom, heedless of Jim's privacy and smiled in glee as she held up a make-up kit. 

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" She asked as the redhead pulled out various brushes and, what looked like, torture devices.

"Mmm...no. Not right now." She started carefully applying some sort of powder on her face. "This is more fun." 

Why did she have to always pick friends that delighted in her discomfort?

Gaila finished with a flourish and turned Jim to the mirror to show off her handiwork. Jim's draw almost dropped. She looked...well, as much as she always tried to avoid such things, pretty?

God. What if she liked Bones? What if she didn't keep 'it'. It would ruin any possible future, not to mention her working relationship. 

"Ooh! You should let me do this more often. It's fun!" Gaila told her, practically jumping in glee.

"You are a cruel cruel woman delighting in my misery." She mock frowned and adjusted the dress.

Gaila giggled and bounced from the room. 

"Oh, my god!" 

Jim heard Gaila's gasp and ran out, expecting to see her jumping on a chair to avoid a bug or something but she was on her knees on the couch and spying through the curtains, a grin on her face. "Oh, you have to keep this one! He's adorable!"

Jim shoved her friend aside and peeked out the window herself and raised an eyebrow in surprise. 

There was Bones, stood with flowers and talking to himself, pacing on her sidewalk. Well...more like growling to himself which was a more typical behavior from what she'd seen of him. 

"Flowers?" 

Gaila's face was red from holding in her laughter and Jim considered punching her in the arm. "A true southern gentlemen courting the great Jamison Kirk! This is gold!" Gaila crowed. 

Jim gave into her instinct and punched her as Gaila cackled. 

She watched Bones as he scowled and ran a hand through his hair, messing up the, previously neat, brown locks. He was dressed in a blue shirt and tie with black trousers. Real date attire. Jim tilted her head and a warm feeling filled her chest. It was...sweet to be treated as something worth having.

"Jim?"

She turned to her friend, her best friend, and all traces of humor were gone. "I really think you should give him, and maybe this pregnancy, a chance."

Jim's face fell and the walls closed in on her, making her feel trapped. 

"I mean...he brought you flowers! That's a win in my book. It's so cute!" She cooed.

Gaila paused, probably sensing Jim's distress and gripped her arms, tilting her head so that her eyes met Jim's. "Hey, do you want me to tell him you're sick? You don't have to go. We can even move if you want?" 

She let out a shaky breath and jerked her head in the negative. 

"You know that you're my sister and I'd support you in anything." She told her and Jim nodded, knowing it was true. "Even protecting you from scowly hot doctors."

Jim rolled her eyes and stood on jelly-like legs while her friend practically bounced towards the front door. "I think he's suffered enough." Gaila shooed Jim into her bedroom. "Go in there. It'll look like you're not as nervous and, that way, you can stop looking as if you're marching to your death." 

Gaila rolled her eyes and smiled a way too happy smile. "I won't wait up!" She shrugged. "Besides, I've got a date myself so I probably won't be home tonight..." She told her and her eyes looked up dreamily. "...if it goes well." 

"So you'll have the apartment all to yourselves." Gaila did a good imitation of a shark.

Jim glared at Gaila but, like Spock and Uhura, she ignored it and flounced out.

She took a deep breath, smoothing her dress and stepping out when she heard the gruff tones of the man that took over her every thought.


End file.
